Constituency hours spark council dispute Littlefield wants the chance to meet ‘one on one’ with residents

Thursday

Feb 21, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Ellen W. ToddSanford News Writer

SANFORD — Who may use Sanford’s City Hall and for what purpose?

A city councilor’s use of a conference room in the City Hall Annex for constituency meetings on Saturdays has sparked a debate among councilors about the use of public buildings — particularly the City Hall — and whether or not the council should have a code of conduct for councilors’ individual meetings with constituents.

Councilor Brad Littlefield announced at the council’s Jan. 22 meeting that he planned to hold constituency hours on Saturdays in February to be available to residents to answer questions. Littlefield said this week that he wanted to meet with people, “one on one,” to answer questions they might have on budget issues or on a new solid waste and recycling program the council is considering.

Littlefield said no one showed up for the first session — probably because it was not well publicized — and a blizzard closed city hall the next week. Last Saturday, he said, three residents came, mostly to discuss the town’s zoning ordinance and two proposed gravel pits that are currently going through the permitting process.

Some councilors took exception to Littlefield’s constituency meetings and his motives, however.

“I just think it should be discussed by the council,” said Councilor Alan Walsh at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Reading from a prepared statement at the Feb. 19 meeting, Littlefield said he suspected “that those councilors that are complaining are also insisting that I am using these constituent hours for a run for mayor.”

“I feel this does have something to do with the mayorship,” said Councilor Ken Burgess. “We’re all accessible through email and cell phone; if someone wants to talk to us, it shouldn’t be in city hall.”

Councilor Fred Smith agreed, saying that he, too, was concerned about Littlefield’s constituency hours being held in city hall.

Deputy Mayor and Councilor Joseph Hanslip said he couldn’t see a downside to Littlefield’s efforts.

“I think it’s laudable that Councilor Littlefield takes time out of his weekend to meet with people,” Hanslip said.

Hanslip added that he didn’t see that the constituency meetings violated the council’s code of conduct.

In a legal opinion on the subject of the council’s regulating constituent hours and the use of the city hall for such meetings, the Maine Municipal Association said neither state law nor Sanford’s charter prohibited a councilor from “holding constituent hours to receive input from citizens, wherever the meeting might occur.”

In its opinion, the MMA also stated that it believed the council could not prohibit or limit individual councilors from holding constituent hours in general.

Regarding the use of city hall, the MMA responded that the councilor “should be treated the same way you would treat a private citizen who wished to use a room in your facility. If the City allows use/rental of its rooms by citizens or groups, the councilor would be able to reserve the room consistent with the City’s policies concerning room reservations/rentals.”

“The problem is, we have no guidelines [for the use of the building],” said Smith.

Although the city hall and the annex are used primarily by municipal boards and committees, the facilities, such as the council chamber, are occasionally used by outside groups, such as political parties. Apparently, there are no rules or regulations covering the use of Sanford’s municipal building — “a building that all taxpayers should all have access to within reason,” Littlefield said.

Walsh made a motion that the council’s property subcommittee draw up rules for the use of city hall, but interim Mayor Maura Herlihy objected. Herlihy said she believed a policy on the use of the facility should be discussed by the full council.

Councilors agreed that the discussion would be rescheduled for a future meeting of the full council.